THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040594
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
About 500 people have signed petitions asking a Circuit Court judge to oust a longtime City Council member who is addicted to heroin.
Meanwhile, another petition drive in support of Councilman Chuck Richardson has almost 1,000 signatures, its organizer said.
Richardson, 46, a 17-year council veteran, has been undergoing drug treatment at a local hospital since July 6.
Archie B. Burrell, who organized the anti-Richardson petition drive, said Richardson should be removed from office because he has admitted using illegal drugs.
Richardson has admitted being addicted to heroin since 1971, when he served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam.
City Registrar Alice C. Lynch verified Wednesday that the petitions she received Tuesday had a sufficient number of signatures to seek the court hearing.
``They had more than enough,'' said Lynch, who estimated about 500 signatures were submitted. She said she counted 350 legitimate signatures before she quit. The signers had to live in Richardson's 5th District and be registered voters.
The petitioners need 312 names to take to a judge - 10 percent of the 3,120 votes cast in the May council election.
Burrell said collecting the signatures was difficult.
``Nothing is easy when you have to explain everything to everybody,'' he said. Some people, Burrell said, didn't agree that Richardson should be removed. ``Because he's Chuck Richardson and he's black, they condone it. And that's wrong,'' Burrell said.
Richard I. Jones said he will hand more than 1,000 signatures in support of the councilman to Richardson's lawyer, Michael Morchower.
``We don't feel like a judge will do anything with Chuck anyway,'' Jones said. ``He didn't do anything wrong.''
He said Richardson's addiction is an illness, not grounds for removal from office.
Police arrested Richardson in 1987 and charged him with possession of heroin, cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs, a misdemeanor. That allowed him to stay on the council because he was not convicted of a felony.
He has been re-elected four times since then, most recently on May 3.
State election law allows a circuit court to remove any elected official - after a petition and a trial - for neglect of duty, misuse of office or incompetence.
After Richardson's conviction, the General Assembly added a provision allowing for removal of an elected official if he is convicted of a misdemeanor involving distribution of drugs or distribution of drug paraphernalia. The provision also allows removal of an elected official for simple possession of drugs if it has ``a material adverse effect on his conduct of his office.''
Richardson has not been convicted of any crime since that law was passed. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Councilman Chuck Richardson has been undergoing drug treatment since
July 6.
KEYWORDS: RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
by CNB